User interfaces for using shared databases for managing supplemental payment sources

ABSTRACT

User devices are disclosed for managing a plurality of supplemental payment sources of a user. One method includes: generating and displaying a user interface prompting a user to input: an identifier of a primary payment source account for applying resources to transactions originating at one or more merchants, the primary payment source account being accounted for in a first data structure of a shared ledger and having its identifier linked with one or more supplemental payment source accounts; identifiers of one or more supplemental payment source accounts for applying resources to transactions originating at one or more merchants, the supplemental payment source accounts being accounted for in second and subsequent data structures of the shared ledger; and preference settings for applying resources of the primary payment source account and the supplemental payment source accounts to transactions, based on identities or categories of merchants involved in the transactions.

FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of paymenttransactions and, more particularly, to managing supplemental paymentsources in payment transactions.

BACKGROUND

When consumers approach a merchant to conduct a payment transaction,they typically must select from a variety of payment sources. Forexample, a consumer might choose to pay using his or her credit card ordebit card, or a store credit or gift card loaded with funds useableonly at that merchant. Likewise, the consumer may choose to pay usingpoints earned through a loyalty program and/or use an alternatecurrency, such as Bitcoin or another peer-to-peer currency. In somecases, a consumer might desire to use a variety of payment sources incombination. For example, a user might want to pay for part of apurchase using an available amount of funds remaining on a store creditor gift card, and pay for the remainder of the purchase using the user'scredit card.

The task of selecting the right payment source(s), or combination ofpayment sources, for any given payment transaction with a merchantbecomes particularly burdensome since the consumer may need to usemultiple payment vehicles (i.e., cards, vouchers, or mobile apps).Moreover, the user may have to log-in and manage multiple accounts, andin some cases follow special procedures for their use. Thus, there is adesire for a system and method of enabling consumers to manage multiplesupplemental payment sources for a given transaction, in some casesbased primarily on one primary account, and/or based on the identity ofthe merchant the consumer is patronizing. The management of multiplepayment sources by consumers, merchants, and financial institutions mayalso pose the risk of inconsistencies in accounting. Thus, there is alsoa desire for a uniform accounting of multiple payment sources linked toa single account.

SUMMARY

According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, systems andmethods are disclosed for managing a plurality of supplemental paymentsources of a user, within a user interface.

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method of managing a pluralityof supplemental payment sources of a user within a user interface, themethod comprising: generating and displaying a user interface promptinga user to input: an identifier of a primary payment source account of auser for applying resources to transactions originating at one or moremerchants, the primary payment source account being accounted for in afirst data structure of a shared ledger and having its identifier linkedwith one or more supplemental payment source accounts of the user;identifiers of one or more supplemental payment source accounts of theuser for applying resources to transactions originating at one or moremerchants, the supplemental payment source accounts being accounted forin second and subsequent data structures of the shared ledger; andpreference settings for applying resources of the primary payment sourceaccount and one or more of the supplemental payment source accounts totransactions, based on identities or categories of merchants involved inthe transactions; and storing the received identifiers for the primarypayment source account and the one or more supplemental payment sourceaccounts and the received preference settings in the supplementalpayment services computing system.

In accordance with another embodiment, a system is disclosed for a userinterface for managing a plurality of supplemental payment sources of auser. The system comprises: a processor of a user device configured togenerate and display a user interface prompting a user to input: anidentifier of a primary payment source account of a user for applyingresources to transactions originating at one or more merchants, theprimary payment source account being accounted for in a first datastructure of a shared ledger and having its identifier linked with oneor more supplemental payment source accounts of the user; identifiers ofone or more supplemental payment source accounts of the user forapplying resources to transactions originating at one or more merchants,the supplemental payment source accounts being accounted for in secondand subsequent data structures of the shared ledger; and preferencesettings for applying resources of the primary payment source accountand one or more of the supplemental payment source accounts totransactions, based on identities or categories of merchants involved inthe transactions; and one or more data storage devices storing:instructions for generating and displaying a user interface; and thereceived identifiers for the primary payment source account and the oneor more supplemental payment source accounts and the received preferencesettings.

In accordance with another embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readablemedium is disclosed that stores instructions that when executed by aprocessor of a user device of the supplemental payment service computingsystem, enables the user device of the supplemental payment servicescomputing system to perform a method of managing a plurality ofsupplemental payment sources of a user, the method including: generatingand displaying a user interface prompting a user to input: an identifierof a primary payment source account of a user for applying resources totransactions originating at one or more merchants, the primary paymentsource account being accounted for in a first data structure of a sharedledger and having its identifier linked with one or more supplementalpayment source accounts of the user; identifiers of one or moresupplemental payment source accounts of the user for applying resourcesto transactions originating at one or more merchants, the supplementalpayment source accounts being accounted for in second and subsequentdata structures of the shared ledger; and preference settings forapplying resources of the primary payment source account and one or moreof the supplemental payment source accounts to transactions, based onidentities or categories of merchants involved in the transactions; andstoring the received identifiers for the primary payment source accountand the one or more supplemental payment source accounts and thereceived preference settings in the supplemental payment servicescomputing system.

According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, systems andmethods are disclosed for using shared databases and user interfaces formanaging a plurality of supplemental payment sources of a user.

In one embodiment, a computer-implemented method is disclosed formanaging a plurality of supplemental payment sources of a user. Themethod comprises: receiving an identifier of a primary payment sourceaccount of a user for applying resources to transactions originating atone or more merchants, the primary payment source account beingaccounted for in a first data structure of a shared ledger and havingits identifier linked with one or more supplemental payment sourceaccounts of the user; receiving identifiers of one or more supplementalpayment source accounts of the user for applying resources totransactions originating at one or more merchants, the supplementalpayment source accounts being accounted for in second and subsequentdata structures of the shared ledger; receiving, from the user, andstoring in relation to the identifier of the user's primary paymentsource account, preference settings for applying resources of theprimary payment source account and one or more of the supplementalpayment source accounts to merchant transactions, based on identities orcategories of merchants involved in the transactions; receiving atransaction authorization request from a merchant or merchant acquirerinvolved in a transaction, wherein the transaction authorization requestidentifies the primary payment source account of the user, an amount ofthe transaction, and the merchant at which the transaction originates;evaluating the preference settings stored in relation to the receivedidentifier of the user's primary payment source account to identify acombination of payment source accounts to use in relation to thetransaction, the payment source accounts being selected from a groupcomprising the primary payment source account of the user and one ormore supplemental payment source accounts of the user, the combinationbeing allocated to the transaction according to the evaluated preferencesettings and the identities or categories of merchants involved in thetransactions; processing the transaction using resources defined by theidentified combination of payment source accounts, wherein processingthe transaction comprises accounting for deducting resources from theprimary payment source account and/or one or more payment sourceaccounts according to the identified combination; updating the first,second, and/or subsequent data structures of the shared ledger toreflect the accounting for deducting resources from the accounts of theprimary payment source account and supplemental payment source accountsaccording to the identified combination; and transmitting a transactionauthorization response to the merchant or merchant acquirer.

In accordance with another embodiment, a system is disclosed for usingshared databases and user interfaces for managing a plurality ofsupplemental payment sources of a user. The system comprises: a datastorage device storing instructions for using shared databases and userinterfaces for managing a plurality of supplemental payment sources of auser; and a processor configured for: receiving an identifier of aprimary payment source account of a user for applying resources totransactions originating at one or more merchants, the primary paymentsource account being accounted for in a first data structure of a sharedledger and having its identifier linked with one or more supplementalpayment source accounts of the user; receiving identifiers of one ormore supplemental payment source accounts of the user for applyingresources to transactions originating at one or more merchants, thesupplemental payment source accounts being accounted for in second andsubsequent data structures of the shared ledger; receiving, from theuser, and storing in relation to the identifier of the user's primarypayment source account, preference settings for applying resources ofthe primary payment source account and one or more of the supplementalpayment source accounts to merchant transactions, based on identities orcategories of merchants involved in the transactions; receiving atransaction authorization request from a merchant or merchant acquirerinvolved in a transaction, wherein the transaction authorization requestidentifies the primary payment source account of the user, an amount ofthe transaction, and the merchant at which the transaction originates;evaluating the preference settings stored in relation to the receivedidentifier of the user's primary payment source account to identify acombination of payment source accounts to use in relation to thetransaction, the payment source accounts being selected from a groupcomprising the primary payment source account of the user and one ormore supplemental payment source accounts of the user, the combinationbeing allocated to the transaction according to the evaluated preferencesettings and the identities or categories of merchants involved in thetransactions; processing the transaction using resources defined by theidentified combination of payment source accounts, wherein processingthe transaction comprises accounting for deducting resources from theprimary payment source account and/or one or more payment sourceaccounts according to the identified combination; updating the first,second, and/or subsequent data structures of the shared ledger toreflect the accounting for deducting resources from the accounts of theprimary payment source account and supplemental payment source accountsaccording to the identified combination; and transmitting a transactionauthorization response to the merchant or merchant acquirer.

In accordance with another embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readablemedium is disclosed that stores instructions that, when executed by asupplemental payment service computing system, causes the supplementalpayment service computing system to perform a method for using shareddatabases and user interfaces for managing a plurality of supplementalpayment sources of a user. The method includes: receiving an identifierof a primary payment source account of a user for applying resources totransactions originating at one or more merchants, the primary paymentsource account being accounted for in a first data structure of a sharedledger and having its identifier linked with one or more supplementalpayment source accounts of the user; receiving identifiers of one ormore supplemental payment source accounts of the user for applyingresources to transactions originating at one or more merchants, thesupplemental payment source accounts being accounted for in second andsubsequent data structures of the shared ledger; receiving, from theuser, and storing in relation to the identifier of the user's primarypayment source account, preference settings for applying resources ofthe primary payment source account and one or more of the supplementalpayment source accounts to merchant transactions, based on identities orcategories of merchants involved in the transactions; receiving atransaction authorization request from a merchant or merchant acquirerinvolved in a transaction, wherein the transaction authorization requestidentifies the primary payment source account of the user, an amount ofthe transaction, and the merchant at which the transaction originates;evaluating the preference settings stored in relation to the receivedidentifier of the user's primary payment source account to identify acombination of payment source accounts to use in relation to thetransaction, the payment source accounts being selected from a groupcomprising the primary payment source account of the user and one ormore supplemental payment source accounts of the user, the combinationbeing allocated to the transaction according to the evaluated preferencesettings and the identities or categories of merchants involved in thetransactions; processing the transaction using resources defined by theidentified combination of payment source accounts, wherein processingthe transaction comprises accounting for deducting resources from theprimary payment source account and/or one or more payment sourceaccounts according to the identified combination; updating the first,second, and/or subsequent data structures of the shared ledger toreflect the accounting for deducting resources from the accounts of theprimary payment source account and supplemental payment source accountsaccording to the identified combination; and transmitting a transactionauthorization response to the merchant or merchant acquirer.

Additional objects and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will beset forth in part in the description that follows, and in part will beapparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of thedisclosed embodiments. The objects and advantages on the disclosedembodiments will be realized and attained by means of the elements andcombinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive of the detailed embodiments, as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an example supplemental paymentsources management environment and systems, in accordance withnon-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of an example supplemental paymentservices computing system, in accordance with non-limiting embodiments.

FIG. 3 depicts an example supplemental payment services computing systemhaving a ledger, in accordance with non-limiting embodiments.

FIGS. 4A and 4B depict a flow chart of an example process executed by asupplemental payment services computing system, in accordance withnon-limiting embodiments.

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict a flow diagram of a method for managingsupplemental payment sources using shared databases and user interfaces,in accordance with non-limiting embodiments.

FIGS. 6A-6D depict various screenshots of user interfaces for enablingusers to interact with the supplemental payment sources managementsystem, in accordance with non-limiting embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various non-limiting embodiments of the present disclosure will now bedescribed to provide an overall understanding of the principles of thestructure, function, and use of systems and methods disclosed herein forthe management of supplemental payment sources using shared databasesand user interfaces.

As described above, consumers may find it burdensome to select and usetheir desired payment source(s), or combination of payment sources, toprovide payment during a transaction with a merchant. For example,consumers may be forced to remember various payment sources, manage thevarious accounts and log-ins for those payment sources, carry multipleassociated payment vehicles (e.g., credit cards, debit cards, giftcards, vouchers, e-coupons, etc.), and finally come to a decision on theright combination of payment sources to use during a payment transactionwith a merchant.

Thus, the embodiments of the present disclosure are directed toimproving a user's experience in conducting a payment transaction with amerchant by enabling the user to link the multiple “supplemental”payment sources to a single payment account. In some cases, the variouspayment sources associated with multiple different financialinstitutions may be associated with the user's primary payment source,thereby enabling the user to conduct a payment transaction with amerchant using a single payment vehicle (e.g., one credit card) linkedto the various payment sources. Furthermore, the embodiments of thepresent disclosure provide user interfaces to enable the addition ordeletion of new payment sources, the selection of the desiredcombination of and amounts to be deducted from the various paymentsources, and the entry of merchant information. Furthermore, theembodiments of the present disclosure provide a centralized system formanaging and accounting for the user's various payment sources using ashared ledger that, in one embodiment, utilizes block chain technologyto manage accounting against the supplemental payment sources andaccounts.

One or more examples of these non-limiting embodiments are illustratedin the selected examples disclosed and described in detail withreference made to FIGS. 1-3, 4A-4B, 5A-5B, and 6A-6D in the accompanyingdrawings. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand thatsystems and methods specifically described herein and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings are non-limiting embodiments. The featuresillustrated or described in connection with one non-limiting embodimentmay be combined with the features of other non-limiting embodiments.Such modifications and variations are intended to be included within thescope of the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an example supplemental paymentsources environment and management system 100. At a high level,supplemental payment sources environment and management system 100comprises: a merchant 116 operating a POS terminal 118; an acquirercomputing system 120 connecting merchant 116 to payment network 126; andone or more issuer computing systems 138A-138C connecting a user 102 topayment network 126. Supplemental payment sources environment andmanagement system 100 also comprises a supplemental payment servicescomputing system 128 which is communicatively coupled to issuercomputing systems 138A-138C and user 102.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure may involve a user 102conducting a payment transaction with merchant 116 using a paymentvehicle 112, e.g., a credit card, debit card, or the like. It will beappreciated by those of skill in the art that user 102 may presentpayment vehicle 112 at POS terminal 118 of merchant 116 to initiate apayment transaction. POS terminal 118 of merchant 116 may transmittransaction information to payment network 126 via acquirer computingsystem 120. Payment network 126 may further transmit the transactioninformation back to an issuer computing system 138A-138C that issuedpayment vehicle 112 to user 102.

As shown in FIG. 1, payment vehicle 112 may be linked with a financialaccount of resources or funds defined by a primary account number(“PAN”), which may be referred to for purposes of the present disclosureas a supplemental payment services account number 114A. In oneembodiment, supplemental payment services account number 114A may defineor identify a PAN of one of payment source accounts 108A-108C,established by a given issuer computing system 138A-138C. As describedabove, a user may wish to link multiple payment sources with a singlepayment vehicle 112. Thus, FIG. 1 depicts a plurality of varioussupplemental payment source accounts 108A-108C associated with aplurality of issuer computing systems 138A-138C, any of which the usermay selectively link to supplemental payment services account number114A of the single payment vehicle 112. According to the presentdisclosure, funds from the various payment source accounts (114A and106A-106C) may be applied to a given transaction according to definedcombinations, rules, and or preferences (“preference settings 110”)predetermined by the user.

The environment comprises a user 102 provided with a user interface 104that allows the user to manage one or more payment sources 106A-106C,their respective payment source accounts 108A-108C, and the preferencesettings 110 for managing these payment sources. It is contemplated thatone of the payment source(s) and its respective payment source accountmay be a user's primary payment source account.

As shown in FIG. 1, supplemental payment services computing system 128generally comprises a repository of payment sources and preferencesettings 132 (“repository”), a ledger inquiry and update interface 134,and a plurality of ledgers 136. Repository 132 may store or be otherwiseassociated with supplemental payment services accounts 114B. In oneembodiment, ledgers 136 are shared ledgers that may be replicated acrosspayment network 126 and may be continually updated using a block chainapproach. In one embodiment, the acquirer may be an extension of ormanaged by the supplemental payment services computing system. Forexample, the supplemental payment services computing system 128 mayserve the function of the acquirer 120, and receive informationregarding the payment transaction directly from the POS terminal 118. Insuch embodiments, the supplemental payment services computing system 128may intercept the functions of an acquirer 120 (e.g., deciding discountrates) and/or payment network 126, while also serving the function ofmanaging a payment transaction based on supplemental payment sources.

In one embodiment, the supplemental payment services computing system128 may provide the management system with an alternative or additionalpayment network. This alternative or additional payment network, beinghosted by the supplemental payment services computing system 128, mayallow the system to bypass or avoid fees (e.g., interchange fees)related to the transfer of data across existing payment networks. Asused herein, the term POS system is used broadly to include POS systemsat brick and mortar locations and “virtual” POS systems that can beassociated with online retailers or “in-app” purchases. In some cases,each POS terminal 118 includes a physical terminal, or other networkcomputing system used to facilitate a payment transaction at a merchantlocation 116. The term “merchant,” as used herein, refers generally toany type of retailer, service provider, or any other type of businessthat is in networked communication with acquirer computing system 120and uses the payment processing services of acquirer computing system120. Payment processing services may include receiving and responding toauthorization requests as well as facilitating the settlement of fundsassociated with card-based transactions occurring at merchant 116.

In accordance with some embodiments, each POS system 118 may begenerally unmodified or “stock” and simply facilitate the standardtransmission of transaction-related information to the acquirercomputing system 120, as is known in the art. The transaction-relatedinformation may comprise a transaction authorization request(“authorization request”), including but not limited to, a paymentamount, a date, a time, a primary account number (which may be thesupplemental payment services account number associated with the user)as well as other types of identifying indicia (e.g., merchantidentification). The identifying indicia may vary based on POS system118, the type of merchant, and the type of transaction, but exampletypes of identifying indicia may include any of the following: thesupplemental payment services account number of the user; a user's nameor other user identifier; a merchant identification (MID) identifier; amerchant category code (MCC) identifier; a media access control (MAC)identifier; an internet protocol (IP) identifier; a geographicidentifier; and/or a payment type identifier.

A user 102, sometimes referred to as a consumer, a cardholder, or a cardmember, may provide identifying information, including the supplementalpayment services account number 114A of the user, to the POS terminal118 to initiate a transaction with merchant 116 using the user's paymentvehicle 112 (e.g., an enrolled credit card). In some cases, the user 102may use a computing device or mobile device (not shown) to initiate thetransaction, such as for a card-not-present transaction at an onlinemerchant. As schematically illustrated, user 102 may have multiplepayment sources 106A-106C that can be selectively used by the user forthe payment transaction that is initiated at the merchant 116 using thepayment vehicle 112. While three payment sources 106A-106C areillustrated, user 102 may enroll any suitable number of differentpayment sources 106A-106C, which may or may not be issued by the samefinancial institution. Examples of these payment sources 106A-106C mayinclude a consumer's checking or savings account, loyalty programs,store accounts, rewards points, and/or alternate currencies. The one ormore payment sources 106A-106C may be used by the cardholder through asingle payment vehicle, thereby making the task of managing multiplepayment sources easier for a consumer. In one embodiment, the paymentvehicle 112 may be issued by the institution or issuer of the user'sprimary payment source, which may allow the management system to linkother payment sources for the management of supplemental paymentsources. In addition, the user 102 may create and manage preferencesettings 110 for, among other things, setting the sequence orproportions by which the one or more payment sources should be appliedto any given transaction initiated with payment vehicle 112 at one ormore merchants 116. Thus, payment vehicle 112 may enable user 102 toinitiate a transaction with merchant 116 using any of the cardholder'ssupplemental payment sources and according to the cardholder'spreference settings 110 for those payment sources.

For example, in one illustrative scenario, a cardholder's supplementalpayment sources 106A-106C include the cardholder's checking account anda merchant gift card containing a specified amount of funds for aparticular merchant. The cardholder's preference settings call for allfunds in the merchant gift card to be used before any funds from thechecking account are used, for a given transaction with the merchant. Ifthe cardholder were to initiate the transaction with the merchant usingthe cardholder's checking account (debit card) as the payment vehicle,then the transaction would be processed such that all funds in thecardholder's merchant gift card are used before any funds from thecardholder's checking account are used.

In some embodiments, if a user were to designate a payment source asbeing a “primary payment source,” then the designated payment source maybe used, for example, as a default payment source for a transaction. Theprimary payment source could also be applied by default if all otherpayment sources have insufficient funds, if a set of payment sourcesand/or preference settings have not been designated yet by the user fora transaction, or if a transaction using any other set of paymentsource(s) and/or preference settings is not otherwise possible.

Unless otherwise specified herein, a payment vehicle may include aphysical card including a plastic or metallic card having a magneticstripe, bar code, or other device or indicia indicative of an accountnumber or other account information, and/or a virtual card, such as adisplay or screen shot for a mobile phone or for another portable device(e.g., a flash drive, smart chip, a laptop or portable computer), or fora computer device (e.g., a desktop computer) in combination with dataindicative of an account number or other account indicative information.It is also contemplated that the payment vehicle 112 may have multipleembodiments or forms. For example, payment vehicle 112 can be a physicalcard (e.g., in the form of magnetic striped plastic card), a virtualcard (e.g., in the form of a display on a smart phone), or both. Thevirtual card may be communicated by displaying a display or screen shot,and/or by transmitting a signal, such as by using NFC (Near FieldCommunication) technology or other secure transport technologies tocomplete the transaction with the selected merchants. Optionally, thevirtual card may have a display element (e.g., a bar code or string ofnumbers) which identifies the account number associated with the card.Alternatively, the virtual card may have display elements relating tothe merchants that accept the card. Data associated with payment vehicle112 may include an encrypted or unencrypted supplemental paymentservices account number 114A or other encrypted or unencrypted accountinformation and/or encrypted or unencrypted information associated witha particular user, issuer, acquirer, or merchant. In one embodiment, thesupplemental payment services account number 114A may identify thecardholder's supplemental payment services account 114B.

Thus, whether payment vehicle 112 is physical or virtual, paymentvehicle 112 may communicate the cardholder's supplemental paymentservices account number. Merchant 116 via POS terminal 118 may transferthe supplemental payment services account number and/or other accountinformation of user 102, information related to the merchant, and atransaction authorization request to the acquirer via payment network126.

In some embodiments, payment vehicle 112 may be in the form of a paymentvehicle obtained from the issuer of a payment source that has beendesignated by the user to be the primary payment source. In suchembodiments, the issuing authority of the primary payment source mayallow the payment vehicle of the primary payment source to also be usedas a payment vehicle for conducting a transaction using the supplementalpayment services management system of the instant disclosure, therebyallowing the linking of other payment sources and preference settings,in addition to the primary payment source.

Referring now to acquirer computing system 120, an authorizationinterface 122 may receive a transaction authorization request from POSterminal 118. The authorization request may comprise various data,including, for example, a MID, a MCC, the cardholder's supplementalpayment services account number 114A, and a transaction amount, amongother things. In some embodiments, acquirer computing system 120 mayalso receive other consumer-identification related data, e.g., an emailaddress, an IP address, etc. In yet another embodiment, the transactionauthorization request detail may contain identifying information aboutthe merchant, the merchant group, or category to which the merchantbelongs to (e.g., dining, groceries, travel, etc.). Once theauthorization request is received, acquirer computing system 120 maytransmit the transaction authorization request, including the amount offunds required for the transaction (“transaction amount”) andsupplemental payments services account identification (e.g., accountnumber 114A) received from POS terminal 118, through a payment network126 to the supplemental payment services computing system 128, usingexisting payment network messaging. In some embodiments, a component ofacquirer computing system 120 (e.g., authorization interface 122) mayalso transmit data identifying the acquirer (e.g., the identifyinginformation of the acquirer bank).

Still referring to FIG. 1, once the transaction authorization request isdelivered to payment network 126, the transaction authorization requestmay be further routed and transmitted to a component of supplementalpayment services computing system 128 (e.g., a communications circuitryor a peripheral device server). In one embodiment, supplemental paymentservices computing system 128 may read the transaction authorizationrequest details and send a request to look up the supplemental paymentservices account number 114A referenced in the transaction authorizationrequest from among the supplemental payment services account numbers114B stored in repository 132. The request may be in the form ofstandard payments authorization messaging and may be made to ledgerinquiry and update interface 134 to retrieve information associated withthe supplemental payment services account 114B from a repository ofpayment sources and preference settings 132 or ledger 136.

In one embodiment, the supplemental payment services computing system128 may respond to the transaction authorization request with anapproval, a denial, or other suitable type of response, based on whetherthe supplemental payment services account and/or account number 114Bexists.

In the case of an authorization approval, supplemental payment servicescomputing system 128 may ping the repository of payment sources andpreference settings 132 to obtain a list of payment sources andpreference settings defining the protocol for processing thetransaction, according to the user's selections. The payment source(s)and preference settings associated with a supplemental payment servicesaccount 114B and/or account number 114A may depend, for example, on thetype of merchant or merchant group associated with the instanttransaction, whether the merchant is a recognized or unrecognizedmerchant, whether the transaction occurs within an active period of apayment source account, whether the user has specifically configured aset of supplemental payment sources and preference settings for thegiven transaction, whether the user has enabled overdraft if a paymentsource has insufficient funds, and/or whether the user has a primarypayment source, or a set of payment source(s) and preference setting fora default transaction. For example, after looking up the supplementalpayment services account number 114A and/or account 114B associated withthe transaction authorization request, the repository 132 may approvethe transaction and specify, based on saved data, that a combination ofthe consumer's checking account and a loyalty program, for example, areto be used as payment sources in the transaction, and that theconsumer's preference settings dictate that funds from the loyaltyprogram are to be drawn, in entirety, before any funds from theconsumer's checking account are drawn. In one embodiment, if theconsumer has not indicated a list of payment sources or preferencesettings to be used for the merchant with whom the consumer istransacting, a primary payment source of the consumer and/or a defaultpayment source preference setting may be used to conduct thetransaction.

Subsequently, the supplemental payments services computing system 128may then access ledger 136 and/or subledger(s) and/or cause the ledgerinquiry & update interface 134 to access ledger 136 and/or subledger(s)to check whether available funds exist in the listed payment sources toallow the transaction, as per the preference settings. Ledger inquiryand update interface 132 may respond to requests to add or delete and/orupdate payment sources, update a user's payment source data, and/orpayment source preference settings. If insufficient funds exist in oneor more of the payment sources to be used for the instant transaction,based on the amounts specified by preference settings to complete thetransaction, the transaction authorization request may be denied. Insome embodiments, when insufficient funds exist in one or more paymentsource(s) based on the amounts specified by a preference setting, themanagement system may prompt the user to select a different set ofpayment source(s) and preference settings. Alternately or additionally,the management system may prompt the user to select a set of paymentsources and/or preference settings designated as a default set ofpayment source(s) and preference settings to be used for the instanttransaction. In all such embodiments, the processor may subsequentlymake a similar inquiry into whether sufficient funds exist in thedifferent (or default) set of payment source(s), based on the preferencesettings.

In yet another embodiment, when insufficient funds exist in one or morepayment source(s) based on the amounts specified by a preferencesetting, the management system may prompt the user to apply the primarypayment source account by default to pay for the transaction, and thetransaction authorization may be approved if the cardholder's primarypayment source is able to solely perform the transaction.

Prior to or subsequent to determining whether sufficient funds exist inthe selected payment source(s), the processor may sort or otherwisearrange the selected payment sources according to the selectedpreference settings for the transaction, and assign the amounts to bededucted from each payment source, according to the preference settings.The sorting and/or arrangement may occur at the repository of paymentsources and preference settings 132, and/or ledger 136, and may includea sequential sorting of the supplemental payment sources in the orderthat they are to be used for the instant transaction.

Upon approval of the transaction authorization by the various componentsof the supplemental payment services computing system 128 (e.g.,repository 132, ledger 136, subledger(s), etc.), the supplementalpayment services system 128 may proceed to either process thetransaction(s) using the selected set of payment source(s) andpreference settings or initiate execution of the transaction or portionsthereof by issuer computing system(s) 138A-138C. In some embodiments,the processing of the transaction occurs at supplemental paymentservices computing system 128, and may include a computation of newamount values stored in the respective payment source accounts used inthe transaction, based on the amounts decided to be deducted from eachpayment source, as per the preference settings 110 and resultingtransaction amounts.

Subsequently, the supplemental payment services computing system 128 maytransmit a transaction authorization response to acquirer computingsystem 120. The acquirer computing system 120 may, in turn, provide thetransaction authorization response to POS terminal 118 of merchant 116.The routing and transmission of the transaction authorizationresponse(s) may occur through payment network 126 and/or a paralleldebit or payment network hosted by supplemental payment servicescomputing system 128.

After completing a successful transaction at merchant 116, a settlementevent may occur that generally transfers funds from the accounts of thevarious payment sources 106A-106C to an account of a merchant and/oracquirer. The various payment sources 106A-106C may belong to one ormore issuers but may be linked to the supplemental payment servicesaccount 114B identified by payment vehicle 112.

The ledger 136 and/or subledgers of the computing system may becontinually updated, and may be updated to reflect an accurate balanceof a consumer's payment sources, debt, and credit. Following the giventransaction, the ledger may be properly updated via a ledger inquiry andupdate server to reflect the correct balance post transaction. In someembodiments, the ledger may be updated using block chain methods.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the supplemental payment services computingsystem 128 (here 202) may be embodied as any type of server or computingdevice capable of processing, communicating, storing, maintaining, andtransferring data. In the illustrative embodiment of FIG. 2, thesupplemental payment services computing system 202 includes a system bus234 connecting a processor 214, communication circuitry 216, memory 218,peripheral devices 220, data storage including ledgers 222 and/orsubledgers 224, ledger inquiry and update interface 226, and a datastorage 228 including a repository 230 of payment sources and preferencesettings associated with supplemental payment services accounts 232.

Of course, the supplemental payment services computing system 202 mayinclude other or additional components, such as those commonly found ina server and/or computer (e.g., various input/output devices), in otherembodiments. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of theillustrative components can be incorporated in, or otherwise from aportion of, another component. For example, the memory 218, or portionsthereof, may be incorporated in the processor 214. In another example,the ledger(s) 222, subledger(s) 224, and repository 230 of paymentsources and preference settings associated with a supplemental paymentservices account 232 may be incorporated within one data storagecomponent of the supplemental payment services computing system 202,which may be referred to as an electronic storage medium.

In some embodiments, one or more of the memory devices 220 and 228 mayinclude one or more shared ledger(s) 222 and subledger(s) 224. Theledger(s) 222 and subledger(s) 224 may, individually or collectively,store and account for transaction data (e.g., supplemental paymentservices account numbers, transaction amount data, etc.),cardholder-specific data (e.g., cardholder identifiers such aselectronic mail addresses, IP addresses mailing addresses, marketingpreferences, etc.), and data related to the payment sources and paymentsource preference settings involved in each transaction. Information forthe ledger may be captured and received from the merchant POS terminal118, acquirer computing system 120, repository of payment sources andpreference settings 132, the ledger inquiry and update interface 134, orany other device or system. It should be appreciated that some or all ofthe cardholder data may be encrypted, tokenized, or otherwise secured.In some embodiments, anonymized consumer segmentations are used toreduce the need to store personally identifiable information.

Examples of entries within the shared ledger(s) 222 and/or subledger(s)224 that relates to payment source may include the identifyinginformation, account balances, credits and debits for loyalty programs,store accounts, alternate currencies, checking or savings accounts,loans, merchant gift cards, or any other source of funds that wouldotherwise require separate accounting.

In one embodiment, the ledger is shared and/or replicated among thirdparty integrators. Having a copy of the shared ledger in close networkproximity to the components and nodes involved with the transactionauthorization process allows the processing of the transactionauthorization to be more efficient and minimizes the risks ofinconsistencies.

The ledger(s) 222 and/or subledger(s) 224, shared or otherwise, may becontinually updated, for example, when a user or the computing systemadds, deletes, or updates payment source data and/or preferencesettings, via the ledger inquiry or update server, and, for example,after a transaction has been finalized in order to reflect the paymentsources and post-transaction account details. In one embodiment, theledger(s) and/or subledger(s) may be updated using a block chainapproach.

In some embodiments, memory device 228 may include a repository ofpayment sources and preference settings 230, which may includesupplemental payment service data associated with supplemental paymentservices accounts 232. The supplemental payment service data may includeone or more payment sources, 204A-204C, and their respective paymentsource accounts 206A-206C, and preference settings 208 linked to asupplemental payment sources account (e.g., credit cards, debit cards,gift cards, loyalty programs, etc.). The supplemental payment sourcesaccount associated with the payment sources and preference settings mayalso be linked to cardholder-specific data (e.g., the supplementalpayment sources account number, cardholder identifiers such aselectronic mail addresses, IP addresses mailing addresses, marketingpreferences, etc.), which can be captured and received from the merchantPOS system or any other device or system. It should be appreciated thatsome or all of the cardholder data can be encrypted, tokenized, orotherwise secured. The repository of payment methods associated witheach account may serve the function of confirming the existence of asupplemental payment services account associated with a transactionauthorization request, and returning the payment source(s) 204A-206C andpreference settings 208 associated with the supplemental paymentservices account.

In some embodiments, a user 210 may configure the supplemental paymentservices computing system 202 so that a particular set of paymentsources 204A-206C and/or particular preference settings 208 may be usedfor a particular merchant or merchant group of the transaction. In suchembodiments, for example, repository 230 may inform processor 214 of theparticular payment sources and/or particular preference settingsassociated with supplemental payment services account number 232, whichare to be used for the particular merchant or merchant group.

In some embodiments, the supplemental payment sources computing system202 may include a ledger inquiry and update interface 226. A user mayadd, delete, and/or update payment sources, update payment sourcepreference settings, add merchants or merchant groups, and/or otherwisecommunicate with the supplemental payment source server via the ledgerinquiry and update interface 226.

FIG. 3 depicts an example supplemental payment services computingenvironment 300 comprising a supplemental payment services computingsystem 302, which is communicatively coupled to a merchant reportingsystem 308 and a payment source reporting system 310. Supplementalpayment services computing system 302 may comprise linkage engine 302A,linkage datasets 302B, ledger 302C, and ledger inquiry and updateinterface 302D. In some embodiments, linking engine 302A facilitates theassociation of payment sources 304A and supplemental payment servicesaccount number 304B for each user profile 304 to an associated ledgerentry 302C. Linkage datasets 302B include a plurality of different userprofiles 304 comprising, for example, payment source(s) 304A that arelinked to a supplemental payment services account number 304B. In someembodiments, linkage datasets 302B may link user segments to asupplemental payment services account number. Accordingly, users fallinginto certain segments may use a common set of payment source(s) andpreference settings that differ from the payment source(s) andpreference settings offered to other users. In some embodiments, thesupplemental payment services account number may be a form of or mayserve the purpose of ledger identification for a user or a user group.Linkage engine 302A may also query the linkage datasets 302B uponreceiving a transaction authorization request from a merchant ormerchant acquirer to determine if a supplemental payment servicesaccount number is associated with the particular user identified in theauthorization request.

Ledgers 302C comprise a plurality of variables and other informationthat is stored for each supplemental payment services account number304B, including, for example, payment source specific preferencesettings 306A and merchant specific preference settings 306B. If theledger 302C also serves as a repository for stored value, thesupplemental payment services account number 306 may also includepayment source amounts 306C and total value amount 306D. Merchantspecific preference settings 306B, for example, may be set to trigger acertain preference setting for the way a set of payment source(s) are tobe used for a certain merchant and/or group of merchants (also “merchantgroup”). Payment source specific preference settings 306A, for example,may be set to trigger certain preference settings whenever a particularpayment source is used in a given transaction. The embodiments of thecurrent disclosure may also allow for preference settings based on otherfactors of a given transaction, for example, a purchase amount, apurchase location, a type of purchase, a number of purchases, the timeor sequence of purchase, or any other suitable factor that may influencethe choice of a preference setting for using payment source(s) in agiven transaction. The payment source amounts 306C may be the storedvalue amounts of the respective payment source(s) associated with thesupplemental payment services account number. A total value amount 306Dmay be an amount of funds that is the combined total of the valueamounts from each payment source associated with the supplementalpayment services account number 306 and accessible to the user via apayment vehicle.

As illustrated, a ledger inquiry and update interface 302D may be usedto provide information to the supplemental payment services computingsystem (e.g., adding new payment source(s), reconfiguring preferencesettings, etc.) and to retrieve information from the supplementalpayment services computing system (e.g., receiving information onpayment source amounts or total value amounts). In some embodiments, auser may access the supplemental payment services computing system 302via a user interface (e.g., 104 and 212 in FIGS. 1 and 2, respectively).For example, a user may add, delete, and/or update information on apayment source (e.g., “payment source reporting” 310). Informationreported on a payment source may include an identification (e.g., name)of the payment source, the payment source amounts 310B, and paymentsource specific preference settings 310A. In some embodiments, thereporting of payment source information to add the payment source to thesupplemental payment services account may automatically link the paymentsource account, from which information on the payment source amount maybe obtained.

The ledger inquiry and update interface 302D may also be used, forexample, during a transaction involving a merchant and/or merchantgroup, with which a user has not transacted before, and may prompt theuser to enter information regarding the merchant and/or merchant group(e.g., “merchant reporting” 308), including, for example, merchantspecific payment source preference settings, before, during, or after atransaction. The ledger inquiry and update interface 302D may befacilitated through any suitable means, such as a web portal, an API, aspecialized application, and so forth.

FIGS. 4A-4B depict an exemplary method 400 that may be executed by asupplemental payment services computing system for initializing asupplemental payment services account and/or updating the ledger of auser.

In one embodiment, step 402 may include generating a supplementalpayment services account and ledger entry for a user. In someembodiments, the supplemental payment services account may be based on apreexisting primary payment source account and/or account number of theuser. As described above, in one embodiment, the ledger may be sharedand replicated across a payment network, and ledger entries may be addedand/or updated using a block chain approach. The supplemental paymentservices account number may be a form of ledger identification for auser of the supplemental payment services management system.

Step 404 may include linking an account number associated with a user'spayment vehicle to the supplemental payment services account. In someembodiments, the payment vehicle may be issued to the user by theprimary payment source of the user. Additionally or alternatively, theaccount number associated with a user's payment vehicles may be theprimary payment source account number of the user. The payment vehiclemay be physical (e.g., a card) or virtual, and may be able to transferinformation regarding a user (e.g., supplemental payment servicesaccount number) at a POS terminal of a merchant.

Step 406 may include linking one or more supplemental payment sources tothe supplemental payment services account of the user. For example, auser may link one or more payment sources by inputting payment sourceidentification (e.g., account and routing number of a bank), via theledger inquiry and update interface.

Step 408A may include linking payment source preferences to a ledgerentry. For example, a user may select payment sources to be used in aparticular sequence or in particular proportions during a transactionwith a particular merchant and/or merchant group.

Step 408B may include linking default payment source preferences to thesupplemental payment services account of the user. Additionally oralternatively, the user may select a payment source from a variety ofpayment sources as a primary payment source or default payment source tobe used during a transaction where there are no payment sources and/orpreference settings configured by the user yet.

In some embodiments, steps 410-424 may correspond to a method ofauthorizing and executing a transaction initiated by a user. Step 410may include receiving a transaction authorization request, whichidentifies a supplemental payment services account number. Thetransaction authorization request may include transaction details,merchant information, and/or information on the acquiring institution orcomputing system. The transaction authorization request may be receivedfrom the acquirer computing system and/or merchant POS via a paymentnetwork. In some embodiments, the transaction authorization request maybe received at the communication circuitry before a processor mayprocess the information within the request, including the supplementalpayment services account number, transaction details, merchantinformation, and acquirer information. In some embodiments, differentuser identification techniques may also be used, in addition to or as analternative to the supplemental payment services account number, such asidentifying based on IP address, MAC address, email address, etc. Insome embodiments, a form of identification of a user may be converted toanother form of identification of the user, for example, to protect thesecurity and privacy of the user.

In step 412A, the supplemental payment services computing system maydetermine whether the supplemental payment services account numberidentified in the payment transaction authorization request exists inthe supplemental payment services computing system (e.g., whether thesupplemental payment services account number is linked to any of theledger entries). If the supplemental payment services account number isnot linked to a ledger entry, the process may subsequently lead to step412B, which includes denying the transaction authorization request.Additionally or alternatively, the process may subsequently lead to step412C, if the account number of the payment vehicle of the user is basedon a primary payment source of a user; step 412C may include processingthe transaction using the primary payment source account number of theuser. A denial of the transaction authorization request (e.g., as instep 412B) may be sent to the merchant POS and/or acquirer computingsystem via the payment network. In another embodiment, if a primarypayment source account number is being used for the supplemental paymentsource account number, and the supplemental payment services computingsystem determines that the supplemental payment services account numberis not linked to a ledger entry, the transaction authorization requestmay be transferred to the issuer of the primary payment source and thetransaction process may thereafter be discontinued at the supplementalpayment services computing system.

If the supplemental payment services computing system determines thatthe supplemental payment services account number is linked to a ledgerentry, then, step 414 may include determining, subsequently, if the userhas designated a set of payment source(s) and/or preference settings forthe merchant involved in the transaction. As used herein, “merchant” mayrefer to a merchant involved in the transaction or to a merchant groupto which the merchant belongs in (e.g., dining, groceries, travel,etc.). Merchant information may be obtained from the MID received aspart of the payment transaction authorization request, or from any othersuitable merchant identifier.

If the user has designated a set of payment source(s) and preferencesettings for the merchant, step 416A may include retrieving the set ofpayment source(s) and/or preference settings, designated by the user, tobe used for the merchant in the transaction, from the repository ofpayment sources and preference settings associated with the supplementalpayment services account number. Step 418A may include determiningwhether there are sufficient funds in the payment source accounts of theset of payment source(s) designated by the user to be used in thecurrent transaction, to match the requisite funds for the transactionaccording to the preference settings designated by the user to be usedin the current transaction.

If the user has not designated a set of payment source(s) and preferencesettings for the merchant, the method may, subsequently, perform step416B of retrieving a set of default payment source(s) and/or defaultpreference settings to be used for the merchant in the transaction, fromthe repository of payment sources and preference settings associatedwith the supplemental payment services account number. Step 418B mayinclude determining whether there are sufficient funds in the paymentsource accounts of the set of default payment source(s) to match therequisite funds for the transaction according to the default preferencesettings.

Step 418A-B may include investigating the payment source accounts in theledger of the supplemental payment services computing system

If, subsequent to step 418A, there are insufficient funds in one or moreof the payment source accounts of the set of payment source(s)designated by the user to be used in the current transaction, accordingto the preference settings designated by the user to be used in thecurrent transaction, the process may loop to step 416B of retrieving aset of default payment source(s) and/or default preference settings tobe used for the merchant in the transaction. In some embodiments, theuser may designate a primary payment source to be used in transactions,for example, where there are insufficient funds in the payment sourceaccounts of the set of payment source(s) designated by the user to beused in the instant transaction, according to the preference settingsdesignated by the user to be used in the instant transaction.Alternatively or additionally, a user may enable the option oftransacting anyway even if there are insufficient funds in one or morepayment source(s) (e.g., resulting in an overdrawn or overdraftaccount).

Alternatively or additionally, if the supplemental payment servicesaccount number is the primary payment source account number of a user,and the user and/or supplemental payment services system has notestablished a set of default payment source(s) and/or default preferencesettings to be used for the merchant in the transaction, the method mayresult in transferring the transaction authorization request to theissuer (or issuer computing system) of the primary payment sourceaccount, and discontinuing the payment transaction process at thesupplemental payment services computing system.

If, subsequent to step 418B, there are insufficient funds in the paymentsource accounts of the set of default payment source(s) to match therequisite funds for the transaction according to the default preferencesettings, the process may loop to step 412B of declining the transactionauthorization request. In some embodiments, the user may designate aprimary payment source to be used in transactions, for example, wherethere are insufficient funds in the payment source accounts of the setof default payment source(s) to match the requisite funds for thetransaction according to the default preference settings. Alternativelyor additionally, a user may enable the option of transacting anyway evenif there are insufficient funds in one or more payment source(s) (e.g.,resulting in an overdrawn or overdraft account).

If, subsequent to step 418A, there are sufficient funds in the paymentsource accounts of the set of payment source(s) designated by the userto be used in the current transaction, to match the requisite funds forthe transaction according to the preference settings designated by theuser to be used in the current transaction, step 420 may includeprocessing the transaction and updating the ledger according to thepreference settings of the user.

If, subsequent to step 418B, there are sufficient funds in the paymentsource accounts of the set of default payment source(s) to match therequisite funds for the transaction according to the default preferencesettings, the process may also lead to step 420 of processing thetransaction and updating the ledger according to the preference settingsof the user.

In some embodiments, step 420 may include lining up the paymentsource(s) used and the requisite funds drawn from each payment source insequential order in the ledger and/or subledger, and then computing thepost-transactional payment source amounts. The ledger may update thepayment source accounts with the computed post-transaction paymentsource amounts. In a preferred embodiment, the ledger and/or subledgeris shared and replicated through the payment network, reflecting thepost-transaction payment source accounts in each replica of sharedledger. Furthermore, the ledger and/or subledger may use a block chainmethodology for adding entries and/or updating itself.

FIGS. 5A-B depict a simplified sequence flow diagram of a method 500 inaccordance with one non-limiting embodiment. Method 500 may be executedby the devices and/or components related to the user 502 (e.g., user502A and payment vehicle 502B), the merchant 504 (e.g., merchant POS504A), the acquirer computing system 506 (e.g., authorization interface506A), payment network 508, and the supplemental payment servicescomputing system 510 (e.g., processor 510A, repository of paymentsources and preference settings (“repository”) 510B, a ledger 510C, anda ledger inquiry and update server 510D).

In some embodiments, process flows 512 and 514 may correspond to amethod of configuring a supplemental payment services account and/orledger entry for a user. For example, in process flow 512, the user 502Amay add or delete payment source(s) and/or configure any payment sourcepreference settings via the ledger inquiry and update server 510D of thesupplemental payment services system 510. At process flow 514, theledger inquiry and update server 510D may update the repository ofpayment sources and reference settings 510B with the added or deletedpayment sources and configured preference settings. Additionally oralternatively, the ledger inquiry and update server 510D may update theledger 510C with the added or deleted payment sources and configuredpreference settings. In a preferred embodiment, the ledger 510C may beshared and replicated throughout the payment network, and may utilizeblock chain methods for updating itself and/or adding entries. The term“ledger” as used herein may refer to one or more ledgers, subledgers,and/or databases for accounting, which may be shared and/or replicated,at least within a payment network, and which may utilize block chaintechnology.

Process flows 516 through 544 may correspond to the method of processinga transaction using a supplemental payment services account and/orledger of a user. At process flow 516, a user 502A, may use a paymentvehicle 502B for a transaction. As demonstrated by process flow 518, thepayment vehicle 502B may be used to initiate a transaction request at amerchant POS 504A. The payment vehicle may be physical (e.g., a card) orvirtual, and may contain identifying information of the user (e.g., thesupplemental payment services account number). In some embodiments, thepayment vehicle may be the form of a payment vehicle obtained from theissuer of a payment source that has been designed by the user to be theprimary payment source. In such embodiments, the issuing authority ofthe primary payment source may allow the payment vehicle of the primarypayment source to also be used as a payment vehicle for conducting atransaction using the supplemental payment services management system ofthe instant disclosure, thereby allowing the linking of other paymentsources and preference settings, in addition to the primary paymentsource. The purchase transaction may be associated with the sale of agood or a service by a merchant, retailer, or other entity. In someembodiments, the purchase transaction may be initiated via abusiness-related functionality and/or a business software executing on,or electronically accessed by, the merchant POS 504A.

In process flow 520, the merchant POS 504A may transmit a transactionauthorization request to the authorization interface 506A of acquirercomputing system 506. The transaction authorization request may containidentifying details about the user, such as, for example, thesupplemental payment services account number of the user, and thetransaction details, such as, for example, the transaction amount. Insome embodiments, the transaction authorization request sent to theacquirer computing system may also contain identifying information aboutthe merchant, such as, for example, an MID, MCC, and/or the merchantgroup or category in which the merchant belongs to (e.g., dining,groceries, travel, etc.). In some embodiments, for example, in thepurchase of products, the transaction details may include product scandata (e.g., product identifiers) and corresponding price data. In someembodiments, the transaction details can include itemized paymentamounts for each component of the product or service being transactedfor, in addition to or as an alternative to the total price for thepayment transaction.

In process flow 522, the acquirer computing system 506 may furthertransmit the transaction authorization request to a component of thesupplemental payment services computing system 510 through a paymentnetwork 508. In some embodiments, further details may be added to thetransaction authorization request received by the acquirer computingsystem 506 from the merchant POS, before being transmitted to thesupplemental payment services computing system. For example, along withidentifying information of the user (e.g., supplemental payment servicesaccount number), transaction details (e.g., transaction amount), andidentifying information of the merchant, the acquirer computing systemmay add information about the acquirer and/or acquiring institution. Insome embodiments, the one or more tasks associated with receiving thetransaction authorization request at the acquirer computing system 506,adding acquirer identification information to the transactionauthorization request, and/or delivering the augmented transactionauthorization request from the acquirer computing system may occur atthe authorization interface 506A of the acquirer computing system 506.In some embodiments, the supplemental payment services computing system510 may host a network of its own (“supplemental payment servicesnetwork”), in addition to or as an alternative to conventional paymentnetworks. The supplemental payment services network may be used totransfer transaction authorization requests and transactionauthorization responses or to facilitate communication with the user502, merchant 504, acquirer computing system 506, a payment sourceissuer, or any other entity otherwise involved in the supplementalpayment services management system.

Upon receipt of the transaction authorization request at thesupplemental payment services computing system 510, a processor 510A ofthe supplemental payment services computing system may process thetransaction authorization request, which may include, for example,obtaining identifying information of the user (e.g., supplementalpayment services account number), the merchant, and the acquirer. Inprocess flow 524, the processor 510A may look up the supplementalpayment services account number, obtained from the transactionauthorization request, in the repository of payment sources andpreference settings 510B associated with a supplemental payment servicesaccount number. In some embodiments, process flow may involve having theledger inquiry and update server 510 perform the function of searchingwithin the repository 510B for the supplemental payment service accountand/or account number (“account lookup”). In another embodiment, wherethe transaction authorization request contains identifying details aboutthe user in a form other than a supplemental payment services accountnumber, the identifying details may be used to retrieve and/or look upthe supplemental payment services account of the user, or may first beconverted into a supplemental payment services account number of theuser (e.g., by hashing another account number). Moreover, process flow524 may include using a combination of information identifying the user(e.g., supplemental payment services account) and the merchant, in theaccount lookup, in order to facilitate the retrieval of a set of paymentsources and/or preference settings to be used in the transaction basedon the merchant (e.g., as in process flow 526 described below). If therepository 510B does not have a record of the supplemental paymentservices account and/or account number, the transaction authorizationrequest may be declined, and a response indicating a decline of thetransaction authorization request may be sent to the acquirer computingsystem 506, merchant POS 504, and/or user 502, via the payment network508.

If the repository contains the supplemental payment services account,process flow 526 may include the processor 510A receiving, from therepository 510B, a set of payment source(s) and preference settings tobe used for the given transaction. The set of payment source(s) andpreference settings associated with a supplemental payment servicesaccount may be determined based on information provided in thetransaction authorization request, including but not limited to,identifying information of the merchant and/or merchant group, the dateor time of the transaction authorization request, and/or the transactionamount.

For example, suppose a particular user has designated that a merchantrewards points account of the user be used in any transactionoriginating from a particular merchant before a credit card account ofthe user is applied, and the user has a supplemental payment servicesaccount associated with this designation saved in the repository 510B.If a transaction authorization request, which includes the supplementalaccount number of the particular user and identifying information aboutthe particular merchant is received by the supplemental payment servicescomputing system 510, process flow 526 may result in the processorreceiving information that may include the following: the supplementalpayment services account identified in the transaction authorizationrequest exists and/or is valid; and, based on the particular merchantidentified in the transaction authorization request, the transactionshould be processed by first using the merchant rewards points of theparticular user to satisfy the transaction amount indicated in thetransaction authorization request, before using the credit card accountof the user to process the transaction for any remaining transactionaccount. In the abovementioned example, the payment sources of theparticular user that the user has designated to be used in thetransaction involving the particular merchant are the merchant rewardspoints account of the user and the credit card account of the user. Thepreference settings that the user has designated to be used in thetransaction involving the particular merchant may include ranking themerchants rewards points account above the credit card account in theorder of use for the transaction.

The set of payment source(s) and preference settings to be used may beconfigured by the user 502 before or during the transaction (e.g., as inprocess flows 512 and 514). The set of payment source(s) and preferencesettings may be configured specifically for a merchant and/or merchantgroup, or may be configured to be used by default, when a transaction,merchant, and/or merchant group does not already have a preconfiguredset of payment sources and/or preference settings. In some embodiments,where a user has not yet configured a set of payment source(s) and/orpreference settings to be used for a specific transaction, merchant,and/or merchant group, the default set of payment source(s) and/orpreference settings may be using the primary payment source account ofthe user, solely.

Referring now to FIG. 5B, in process flow 528, the processor 510A maydetermine whether the set of payment sources determined in process flow526 have sufficient funds for the transaction to be processed. Processflow 528 may involve the ledger inquiry and update server 510D making aninquiry into the ledger 510C to check the current balance(s) for the oneor more payment sources designated to be used in the transactionaccording to the information received by the processor in process flow526. The balances of the one or more payment source account(s) may becompared with the requisite amounts to be drawn from each paymentsource, according to the preference settings received by the processorin process flow 526.

For example, if a preference setting requires that up to a maximum of$100 from a user's savings account must first be drawn to pay for atransaction before funds from a user's checking account can be drawn,and if the user's savings account has $150, the user's checking accounthas $100, and the transaction amount to be paid is $250, the current setof payment source(s) and preference settings may be insufficient to payfor the transaction amount since only $200 may be drawn from the paymentsource(s) collectively, according to the user's prescribed preferencesettings.

If there are insufficient funds in one or more payment sources or a setof preference source(s) for a given transaction, the processor 510A mayretrieve a set of default payment source(s) and/or default preferencesettings from the repository to be used for the given transaction. Insome embodiments, the set of default payment source(s) and/or defaultpreference settings may include using the primary payment source accountof a user, if the user has designated a payment source as a primarypayment source. In some embodiments, a user may enable an overdraft tooccur in one or more payment source accounts, allowing the transactionto proceed even if there are insufficient funds in one or more paymentsource accounts. In another embodiment, if there are insufficient fundsin the one or more payment sources designated from process flow 526 fora given transaction, the supplemental payment services computing system510 may transmit a decline of transaction authorization request to theuser 502, merchant 504, and/or acquirer 506, via a payment network 508.In yet another embodiment, if there are insufficient funds in the one ormore payment sources designated in process flow 526 for a giventransaction, the user has designated a payment source account as aprimary payment source account, and the supplemental payment accountnumber of the user is based on the primary payment source account, thesupplemental payment services computing system may transfer thetransaction authorization request to the issuer or issuing computingsystem of the primary payment source and discontinue the transactionprocess in the supplemental payment services computing system.

If the set of payment sources determined from the information receivedin process flow 526 has sufficient funds for the transaction to beprocessed, process flow 530 may include the processor 510A receivingconfirmation of the sufficiency of funds in the set of payment sources,from the ledger 510C and/or ledger inquiry and update server 510D

Process flow 532 may include the processor lining up the payment sourcesaccording to the order prescribed in the preference settings received bythe processor in process flow 526. In some embodiments, the preferencesettings may prescribe that funds from payment source(s) be drawn incertain proportions, irrespective of order, to pay the transactionamount. In such embodiments, process flow 532 may include arranging therespective payment source(s) in the ledger so as to indicate asimultaneous drawing of funds based on the prescribed proportions set inthe preference setting. Alternatively, in such embodiments, the paymentsource(s) may be lined up according to a default ordering sequence.Process flow 532 may include sending the abovementioned transactionprocessing information, including, for example, the ordered sequence ofpayment source(s) and the amount of funds to be drawn from each paymentsource to the ledger inquiry and update server 510D. The ledger inquiryand update server 510D may then arrange or order the payment source(s)according to the preference settings, in the ledger 510C.

In process flow 534, the processor 510A may process the transaction andcompute an updated payment source data. In some embodiments, theprocessing and computation may be performed by the ledger inquiry andupdate server 510D. The computation of the updated payment source datamay include, subtracting from one or more payment source accounts, theamount of funds designated to be drawn from the respective paymentsource(s) as prescribed by the preference settings.

Subsequently, process flow 536 may include updating the one or morepayment source accounts to reflect the post transaction account balancefor each of the one or more payment source accounts. Process flow 536may be requested by the processor 510A to be performed by the ledgerinquiry and update server 510D, and/or may be initiated and performed atthe ledger inquiry and update server 510D.

Process flow 538 may include the ledger inquiry and update server 538updating the ledger 510C to reflect the processed transaction andupdated payment source accounts. In a preferred embodiment, the ledger510C is shared and replicated through the payment network 508, therebyallowing other authorized parties or components of the supplementalpayment services management system to see the transactional activity andthe updated payment source accounts, instantaneously or immediatelyafter. The ledger inquiry and update server 510D may utilize block chainmethods for updating the ledger 510C.

In process flow 540, the supplemental payment services computing systemmay generate and transmit a transaction authorization response. In someembodiments, the transaction authorization response may be generated atthe processor 510A of the supplemental payment services computing system510. The transaction authorization response may be transmitted to the tothe acquirer computing system 506 through the payment network 508 and/orthe supplemental payment services network. In some embodiments, thetransaction authorization response may be received at the authorizationinterface 506A of the acquirer computing system 506.

Subsequently, in process flow 542, the acquirer computing system 506 mayfinalize the transaction and, in some embodiments, the transactionauthorization response. For example, in some embodiment, the acquirercomputing system 506 may instruct the merchant POS 504A to capture asignature for the payment transaction. Additionally or alternatively, insome embodiments, an integrated circuit payment card (e.g., an EMV cardor other smartcard) may be inserted into the merchant POS device 504A,which may include corresponding integrated circuit payment hardware andfunctionality. In such embodiments, the acquirer computing system 506may instruct the merchant POS 504A to write payment transaction data oraccount data back to the integrated circuit payment card. It should beappreciated that the acquirer computing system 506, the merchant 504,and the merchant POS 504A may perform any other function to finalize thepayment transaction.

Subsequently, process flow 542 may include depositing the funds obtainedfrom the payment sources via the supplemental payment services systeminto the account of the merchant 504 and/or acquirer 506.

In process flow 544, the merchant 544 may transmit the finalized paymentdetails and transaction summary user 544. In some embodiments, themerchant POS 504A generates a receipt for the payment transaction basedat least in part on, or otherwise as a function of, the finalizedtransaction authorization response received from the acquirer computingsystem 506.

FIGS. 6A-D depict various screenshots of the user interface of thesupplemental payment sources management system, according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The user interface mayequip the user of the supplemental payment services management systemwith the ability to manage supplemental payment sources, which mayinclude but are not limited to the ability to add, delete, update, orconfigure payment source(s) and/or preference settings, receive messagesrelated to the supplemental payment services management system, seetransactional history related to a merchant and/or merchant group,and/or manage the payment sources and preference settings to be used fora merchant and/or merchant group. For ease of use, the user interface ofthe supplemental payment services management system may be categorizedto display information related to payment sources, merchants, andmessages, as shown by the tabs in the various screenshots of FIGS.6A-6D.

For example, FIGS. 6A and 6B depict exemplary screenshots of the userinterface under the “payment sources” tab 602. As demonstrated in theexemplary screenshot of FIG. 6A, a user may select the option of addinga payment source 604 to an existing list of payment sources (e.g.,“credit card—6543” 606, “gift card—2101” 608, “Visa debit—2240” 610,etc.). In some embodiments, a user may initiate the configuration of thepreference settings by selecting one of two preference styles 618. Thepreference styles 618 may include ranking a set of preference source(s)in an order to be used for a given transaction (e.g., “by rank”) ordeciding the proportion of the payment amount to be paid by each paymentsource (e.g., “by percentage”). As depicted in FIGS. 6A and 6B, aselection of a “by rank” preference style results in the user's paymentsources being ranked in the order in which a user wants the paymentsource(s) to be used for a given transaction. A user may be able toreorder the preference source(s) by rank by typing in the order numberin the box to the left of each payment source or dragging the namedpayment source around so that the payment source(s) are verticallyaligned in the ranking order that the user desires. In otherembodiments, where the user has selected a “by percentage” preferencestyle, a user may be able to allocate percentages for each of thepayment sources to be used in the transaction by entering a percentageat the boxes to the left of each payment source. The percentages mayindicate the proportion of the transaction amount to be drawn from thepayment source in order to pay for the transaction. In one embodiment,the user interface may be able to enhance the user experience ofconfiguring preference settings by performing one or more calculationsfor the allocation of percentages for one or more remaining paymentsources once a user has allocated percentages for one or more paymentsources. As depicted in FIG. 6B, selecting a payment source (e.g.,“credit card—6543” 606, “gift card—2101” 608, “visa debit—2240” 610,etc.) may prompt a display of the account balance of the payment source,in one or more currencies 620. In some embodiments, a user may be ableto set a limit on the amount of funds that may be drawn from a paymentsource, for example, by entering value of a “max usage amount” in thedesignated box 622. In some embodiments, the user may be able to selecta payment source to be used exclusively or block a payment source frombeing used in the instant set of payment source(s) and preferencesettings, by selecting “use exclusively” 624 or “block usage” 626,respectively.

Once a user has added payment source(s), and has selected a preferencesetting by choosing a preference style and configuring the paymentsource preference settings according the preference style, a user may beable to select various options for the set of payment sources andpreference setting that the user created. As depicted in FIG. 6A, a usermay be able to apply the set of payment source(s) and preferencesettings for all default transactions (e.g., “apply settings for defaulttransactions” 612). Selecting the option of “save settings for aspecific merchant,” will save the instant set of payment sources andpreference settings in the repository of payment sources and preferencesettings associated with the supplemental payment services account ofthe user, for transactions originating from the specific merchant.Selecting the option of “apply settings for default transactions” willenable the supplemental payment services computing system to select theinstant set of payment source(s) and preference settings for anytransaction unless the user has specified that a different set ofpayment source(s) and/or preference settings be used. For example, thesupplemental payment services computing system may trigger defaultpayment sources and/or default preference settings when encountering amerchant or a merchant group for which the user has not yet designated aset of payment sources and/or preference settings to be used.

In some embodiments, prior to the user creating a set of paymentsource(s) and/or preference settings and applying the set for defaulttransactions, the supplemental payment services computing system may usethe payment source that the user designates as the primary paymentsource for default transactions. (e.g., all transactions for which theuser has not yet configured a set of payment sources and/or preferencesettings).

As further depicted in FIG. 6A, a user may be able to save the set ofpayment source(s) and preference settings for a specific merchant (e.g.,“save settings for a specific merchant” 614). Selecting the option of“save settings for a specific merchant”, will save the instant set ofpayment sources and preference settings in the repository of paymentsources and preference settings associated with the supplemental paymentservices account of the user, for transactions involving the specificmerchant. For example, if the user were to initiate a transaction withthe specific merchant in the future, the supplemental payment servicescomputing system would be prompted to use the instant payment source(s)and preference settings to conduct the transaction.

As further depicted in FIG. 6A, in some embodiments, a user may be ableto save the set of payment source(s) and preference settings for aspecific merchant group (“save settings for a specific merchant group”616). In some embodiments, the user may manually create merchant groupsand place one or more merchants into a merchant group for the purpose ofmanaging the payment source(s) and/or preference settings to be used.Additionally or alternately, the supplemental payment services computingsystem may automatically categorize merchants as belonging to a merchantgroup, using the identifying information about the merchant obtainedwith the transaction authorization request (MCC, MID, etc.). Selectingthe option of “save settings for a specific merchant group,” will savethe instant set of payment sources and preference settings in therepository of payment sources and preference settings associated withthe supplemental payment services account of the user, for transactionsinvolving merchants within the specific merchant group.

FIG. 6C depicts an exemplary screenshot of the user interface under the“merchants” tab 628. An exemplary page under the merchants tab mayinclude subcategories related to recent merchants 630, find merchants632, and merchant groups 634. As depicted in FIG. 6C, selecting theoption of “recent merchants” 630 provides information related to recenttransactions 636, which may include the name or identifying informationof the recent merchant, the date of the transaction, the amount of thetransaction, and the status of the transaction (e.g., paid, declined,processing, etc.). In one embodiment, selecting a recent transaction mayresult in a display of the payment sources used or attempted to be usedfor the transaction and the amounts drawn or attempted to be drawn fromeach payment source (e.g., as in 638). Selecting a recent transactionmay also result in a display of options including an option to add therecent merchant to a merchant group (e.g., “add ‘uptowner café’ to amerchant group” 640A) and the option to set up or update a set ofpayment source(s) and preference settings for the merchant (e.g., “set apayment configuration” 640B)

In some embodiments, a “find merchants” option 632 may enable a user tolook up merchants using, for example, geographical search and/or akeyword search. The look up of merchants may be useful to a user whowould like to create a set of payment source(s) and preference settingsfor that particular merchant.

In some embodiments, a “merchants groups” option 634 may enable a userto browse the merchant groups for merchants that the user and/or thesupplemental payment services system has placed, create paymentconfigurations for the merchant groups, and add, delete, or updateinformation related to new merchant groups.

FIG. 6D depicts an exemplary screenshot of the user interface under the“messages” tab 642. In some embodiments, the user interface may relayimportant notifications to the user through features such as the“messages” tab 642. In some embodiment, the “messages” tab may be in theform of an inbox, with the option of scrolling through messages using a“previous” and “next” option, with dates and times contextualizing themessage. As depicted in FIG. 6D, an important notification may be thedecline of a payment transaction request due to insufficient funds inone or more payment sources in the set of payment source(s) andpreference settings chosen for the particular transaction (e.g., “Yourpayment transaction has declined due to insufficient funds in thefollowing payment sources: . . . ” 644). In some embodiments, in thecase of a decline of a payment transaction request due to insufficientfunds in one or more payment sources, the user interface may present theuser with one or more options. For example, one option may be to allowthe payment to proceed even though there are insufficient funds in oneor more payment sources of the set of payment source(s) and preferencesettings selected for the transaction, resulting in an overdrawn oroverdraft payment source account (e.g., “allow overdraft” 646). Anotheroption may include allowing the user to change the set of paymentsource(s) and/or preference settings being used for the instanttransaction (e.g., “change payment configuration” 648).

These and other embodiments of the systems and methods may be used aswould be recognized by those skilled in the art. The above descriptionsof various systems and methods are intended to illustrate specificexamples and describe certain ways of making and using the systemsdisclosed and described here. These descriptions are neither intended tobe nor should be taken as an exhaustive list of the possible ways inwhich these systems can be made and used. A number of modifications,including substitutions of systems between or among examples andvariations among combinations can be made. Those modifications andvariations should be apparent to those of ordinary skill in this areaafter having read this disclosure.

It is intended that the specification and examples be considered asexemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention beingindicated by the following claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer-implemented method of managing aplurality of supplemental payment sources of a user within a userinterface, the method comprising: generating, by a computer processor, auser interface prompting a user to input: by way of an input field inthe user interface, an identifier of a primary payment source account ofa user for applying resources to transactions originating at one or moremerchants, the primary payment source account being accounted for in afirst data structure of a shared ledger wherein the primary paymentsource account is represented by a primary payment source paymentvehicle; by way of a plurality of input fields in the user interface,identifiers of one or more supplemental payment source accounts of theuser for applying resources to transactions originating at one or moremerchants, the supplemental payment source accounts being accounted forin second and subsequent data structures of the shared ledger, whereinthe identifiers of the supplemental payment source accounts are linkedin the second and subsequent data structures to the primary paymentsource account, and wherein the resources in the supplemental paymentsource accounts are applicable to transactions by the user presentingonly the primary payment source payment vehicle to originate thetransactions; and preference settings, linked to the identifier of theuser's primary payment source account, for applying resources of theprimary payment source account and one or more of the supplementalpayment source accounts to transactions, based on merchant categories ofmerchants involved in the transactions, wherein the user interfacecomprises fields allowing user entry of (i) a plurality of paymentcombinations, each payment combination comprising identifiers of acombination of payment sources selectable from among the primary paymentsource account and the supplemental payment source accounts, eachpayment combination optionally including the primary payment sourceaccount, and (ii) an identifier of a specific merchant or merchant grouplinked to each combination; and upon receiving from the user, by way ofthe user interface, at a payment services computing system over acomputer network, a command to store payment processing preferences fora merchant category, linking, in relation to the identifier of theuser's primary payment source account, in an electronic storage medium,the received identifiers for the primary payment source account and theone or more supplemental payment source accounts and the receivedpreference settings in the supplemental payment services computingsystem for transactions involving merchants within the merchantcategory, such that a transaction originated by the user presenting theprimary payment source account and identifying an identifier of amerchant at which the transaction originates, and a merchant categoryidentifier of a merchant at which the transaction originates, isautomatically processed using the stored payment processing preferences.2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:receiving, at the supplemental payment services computing system, atransaction authorization request from a merchant or merchant acquirerinvolved in a transaction, wherein the transaction was originated by theuser presenting the primary payment source payment vehicle whereby theauthorization request identifies the primary payment source account ofthe user, an amount of the transaction, and the merchant at which thetransaction originates; evaluating the preference settings stored inrelation to the received identifier of the user's primary payment sourceaccount to identify from among the plurality of payment combinations acombination of payment source accounts to use in relation to thetransaction, the combination being allocated to the transactionaccording to the evaluated preference settings and based on the merchantidentifier or the merchant categories of the merchant involved in thetransaction; processing the transaction using resources defined by theidentified combination of payment source accounts, wherein processingthe transaction comprises accounting for deducting resources from theprimary payment source account and/or one or more supplemental paymentsource accounts according to the identified combination; updating thefirst, second, and/or subsequent data structures of the shared ledger toreflect the accounting for deducting resources from the accounts of theprimary payment source account and supplemental payment source accountsaccording to the identified combination; transmitting a transactionauthorization response to the merchant or merchant acquirer; anddisplaying the accounting for deducting resources from the accounts ofthe primary payment source account and supplemental payment sourceaccounts according to the identified combination.
 3. The method of claim2, wherein, evaluating the preference settings to identify a combinationof payment source accounts to use in relation to the transactionincludes: querying the electronic storage medium to determine, using theidentifier of the user's primary payment source account and the receivedmerchant identifier or merchant category identifier of the merchant, ifthere is among the plurality of payment combinations a combination ofone or more payment source accounts to use in the payment transaction,from a group comprising one or more supplemental payment source accountsand the primary payment source account, and if there are one or morepreference settings for applying the combination of payment sourceaccounts in the payment transaction; and if the electronic storagemedium has a combination of payment source accounts to use in thepayment transaction and one or more preference settings for applying thecombination of payment sources in the transaction, determining andassigning one or more amounts to be deducted for each of the one or morepayment source accounts in the combination of payment source accounts touse in the purchase transaction, using, one or more preference settingsfor applying the combination of payment source accounts in the paymenttransaction, and if the electronic storage medium does not have acombination of payment source accounts to use in the payment transactionor one or more preference settings for applying the combination ofpayment sources in the transaction, assigning the transaction amount tobe drawn from the primary payment source account.
 4. The method of claim2, wherein the ledger is shared, at least with the merchant or merchantacquirer, can be replicated, at least within a payment network, and canbe updated using a block chain method.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereingenerating and displaying a user interface prompting a user to inputpreference settings for applying resources of the primary payment sourceaccount and one or more of the supplemental payment source accounts totransactions, includes, one or more of: providing a user interface bywhich a user may rank the one or more payment source accounts, from thecombination of payment source accounts to use in the paymenttransaction, in the order in which accounts are to be drawn to satisfythe transaction amount during a payment transaction; providing a userinterface by which a user may assign to each of the one or more paymentsource accounts, from the combination of payment source accounts to usein the payment transaction, a percentage of the transaction amount to besupplied by each payment source account to satisfy the transactionamount during the payment transaction; and enabling a user to assign aminimum or maximum limit to the amount of funds that can be drawn fromany one or more payment source accounts, from the combination of paymentsource accounts to use in the payment transaction.
 6. The method ofclaim 2, further comprising, prior to processing the transaction,querying, a ledger to determine whether each of the one or more paymentsource accounts, from the combination of payment source accounts to usein the payment transaction, has sufficient funds for the transaction inthe amounts assigned for each of the one or more payment sourceaccounts; and upon determining that one or more of the payment sourceaccounts, from the combination of payment source accounts to use in thepayment transaction, does not have sufficient funds for the transaction,transmitting a denial of the transaction authorization request to themerchants or merchant acquirer over a payment network, discontinuing thepayment transaction at the supplemental payment services computingsystem, and displaying an indication of the denial of the transactionauthorization request at the user interface.
 7. The method of claim 2,further comprising, providing a user interface by which the user mayselect an option that allows the supplemental payment services computingsystem to overdraft one or more payment source accounts of an assignedcombination of payment source accounts and preference settings to beapplied to a transaction, if the one or more payment sources does nothave sufficient funds for the transaction.
 8. The method of claim 7,further comprising, prior to processing the transaction, querying, aledger to determine whether each of the one or more payment sourceaccounts, from the combination of payment source accounts to use in thepayment transaction, has sufficient funds for the transaction in theamounts assigned for each of the one or more payment source accounts;and upon determining that one or more of the payment source accounts,from the combination of payment source accounts to use in the paymenttransaction, does not have sufficient funds for the transaction, and ifthe user has selected the option that allows the supplemental paymentservices computing system to overdraft one or more payment sourceaccounts of an assigned combination of payment source accounts andpreference settings to be applied to a transaction, determining andassigning one or more amounts to be deducted for each of the one or morepayment source accounts in the combination of payment source accounts touse in the purchase transaction, including the one or more paymentsource accounts that does not have sufficient funds for the transaction,wherein the amounts to be deducted are based on the one or morepreference settings for applying the combination of payment sourceaccounts in the payment transaction.
 9. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising, providing a user interface by which a user may instruct thesupplemental payment services computing system to apply a preferencesetting to a combination of payment sources, based on, one or more of:the merchant or type of merchant from which a transaction originates;the payment source assigned to be used in the transaction; thetransaction amount; the location of where the transaction originates;the type of purchase in the transaction; the number of purchases in thetransaction; or the time or sequence of purchase of the transaction. 10.The method of claim 2, wherein, the user device further displaysinformation related to recent transactions, including, one or more of:the merchants or types of merchant from which the recent transactionsoriginated; the transaction amounts involved in the recent transaction;the combination of payment source accounts used for each of the recenttransactions; the amounts drawn from each of the one or more paymentsource accounts in combination of payment source accounts used in therecent transactions; and the status of each of the recent transaction.11. The method of claim 10, wherein the displayed information isarranged under tabs on the user interface, the tabs comprising one ormore of a first tab for information related to payment sources thatincludes functionalities for enabling a user to add, delete, or change aprimary payment source account, supplemental payment source accounts, orpreference settings to be used in a transaction originating from amerchant or group of merchants; and a second tab for information relatedto merchants that displays recent transaction details.
 12. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising, one or more of: providing a user interfaceby which a user may update or change a primary payment source account;providing a user interface by which a user may add, delete, or change asupplemental payment source account; providing a user interface by whicha user may add, delete, or change preference settings for applying to anassigned combination of payment source accounts in a paymenttransaction; and providing a user interface by which a user may add,delete, or change an assignment of a combination of payment sourceaccounts and preference settings to be used in a transaction originatingfrom a merchant or a group of merchants.
 13. The method of claim 1,further comprising, if the identity or category of a merchant of arecent transaction is not stored in the electronic storage medium or ifthe merchant or merchant group represented by the identity or categorydoes not yet have an assigned combination of payment source accounts andpreference settings to be used in transactions originating from themerchant or group of merchants, generating and displaying a userinterface by which: a user may store, in relation to the identifier ofthe user's primary payment source account, the identity or category ofthe merchant of the recent transaction; a user may assign a combinationof payment source accounts and preference settings to be used intransactions originating from the merchant or the group of merchants,wherein the payment source accounts are from a group of accountscomprising the received one or more supplemental payment source accountsand the received primary payment source account, and wherein thepreference settings are from the received preference settings and are tobe applied to the combination of payment source accounts in the paymenttransactions originating from the merchant or group of merchants. 14.The method of claim 1, wherein, one or more of, the preference settings,supplemental payment source accounts, and the primary payment sourceaccount is assigned to be used by default in a payment transaction. 15.A system for managing a plurality of supplemental payment sources of auser within a user interface, the system comprising: a processor of auser device configured to generate and display a user interfaceprompting a user to input: by way of an input field in the userinterface, an identifier of a primary payment source account of a userfor applying resources to transactions originating at one or moremerchants, the primary payment source account being accounted for in afirst data structure of a shared ledger wherein the primary paymentsource account is represented by a primary payment source paymentvehicle; by way of a plurality of input fields in the user interface,identifiers of one or more supplemental payment source accounts of theuser for applying resources to transactions originating at one or moremerchants, the supplemental payment source accounts being accounted forin second and subsequent data structures of the shared ledger, whereinthe identifiers of the supplemental payment source accounts are linkedin the second and subsequent data structures to the primary paymentsource account, and wherein the resources in the supplemental paymentsource accounts are applicable to transactions by the user presentingonly the primary payment source payment vehicle to originate thetransactions; and preference settings, linked to the identifier of theuser's primary payment source account, for applying resources of theprimary payment source account and one or more of the supplementalpayment source accounts to transactions, based on merchant categories ofmerchants involved in the transactions, wherein the user interfacecomprises fields allowing user entry of (i) a plurality of paymentcombinations, each payment combination comprising identifiers of acombination of payment sources selectable from among the primary paymentsource account and the supplemental payment source accounts, eachpayment combination optionally including the primary payment sourceaccount, and (ii) an identifier of a specific merchant or merchant grouplinked to each combination; and one or more data storage devicesstoring: instructions for generating and displaying a user interface;and the received identifiers for the primary payment source account andthe one or more supplemental payment source accounts and the receivedpreference settings, linked to the identifier of the user's primarypayment source account, in an electronic storage medium, fortransactions involving merchants within the merchant category, such thata transaction originated by the user presenting the primary paymentsource account and identifying an identifier of a merchant at which thetransaction originates, and a merchant category identifier of a merchantat which the transaction originates, is automatically processed usingthe stored payment processing preferences.
 16. The system of claim 15,further comprising, one or more data storage devices storing:instructions for managing a plurality of supplemental payment sources ofa user; and a processor configured to execute the instructions toperform a method including: receiving, at the supplemental paymentservices computing system, a transaction authorization request from amerchant or merchant acquirer involved in a transaction, wherein thetransaction was originated by the user presenting the primary paymentsource payment vehicle whereby the authorization request identifies theprimary payment source account of the user, an amount of thetransaction, and the merchant at which the transaction originates;evaluating the preference settings stored in relation to the receivedidentifier of the user's primary payment source account to identify fromamong the plurality of payment combinations a combination of paymentsource accounts to use in relation to the transaction, the combinationbeing allocated to the transaction according to the evaluated preferencesettings and based on the merchant identifier or the merchant categoriesof the merchant involved in the transaction; processing the transactionusing resources defined by the identified combination of payment sourceaccounts, wherein processing the transaction comprises accounting fordeducting resources from the primary payment source account and/or oneor more supplemental payment source accounts according to the identifiedcombination; updating the first, second, and/or subsequent datastructures of the shared ledger to reflect the accounting for deductingresources from the accounts of the primary payment source account andsupplemental payment source accounts according to the identifiedcombination; and transmitting a transaction authorization response tothe merchant or merchant acquirer.
 17. The system of claim 15, wherein,the processor of the user device is further configured to displayinformation related to recent transactions, including, one or more of:the merchants or types of merchant from which the recent transactionsoriginated; the transaction amounts involved in the recent transaction;the combination of payment source accounts used for each of the recenttransactions; the amounts drawn from each of the one or more paymentsource accounts in combination of payment source accounts used in therecent transactions; and the status of each of the recent transaction.18. The system of claim 15, wherein the processor of the user device isfurther configured to provide a user interface by which a user may:update or change a primary payment source account; add, delete, orchange a supplemental payment source account; add, delete, or changepreference settings for applying to an assigned combination of paymentsource accounts in a payment transaction; and add, delete, or change anassignment of a combination of payment source accounts and preferencesettings to be used in a transaction originating from a merchant or agroup of merchants.
 19. A non-transitory machine-readable medium storinginstructions that, when executed by a user device of the supplementalpayment service computing system, enable the user device of thesupplemental payment services computing system to perform a method formanaging a plurality of supplemental payment sources of a user, themethod including: generating and displaying, by a computer processor, auser interface prompting a user to input: by way of an input field inthe user interface, an identifier of a primary payment source account ofa user for applying resources to transactions originating at one or moremerchants, the primary payment source account being accounted for in afirst data structure of a shared ledger wherein the primary paymentsource account is represented by a primary payment source paymentvehicle; by way of a plurality of input fields in the user interface,identifiers of one or more supplemental payment source accounts of theuser for applying resources to transactions originating at one or moremerchants, the supplemental payment source accounts being accounted forin second and subsequent data structures of the shared ledger, whereinthe identifiers of the supplemental payment source accounts are linkedin the second and subsequent data structures to the primary paymentsource account, and wherein the resources in the supplemental paymentsource accounts are applicable to transactions by the user presentingonly the primary payment source payment vehicle to originate thetransactions; and preference settings, linked to the identifier of theuser's primary payment source account, for applying resources of theprimary payment source account and one or more of the supplementalpayment source accounts to transactions, based on merchant categories ofmerchants involved in the transactions, wherein the user interfacecomprises fields allowing user entry of (i) a plurality of paymentcombinations, each payment combination comprising identifiers of acombination of payment sources selectable from among the primary paymentsource account and the supplemental payment source accounts, eachpayment combination optionally including the primary payment sourceaccount, and (ii) an identifier of a specific merchant or merchant grouplinked to each combination; and upon receiving from the user, by way ofthe user interface, over a computer network, a command to store paymentprocessing preferences for a merchant category, linking, in relation tothe identifier of the user's primary payment source account, in anelectronic storage medium, the received identifiers for the primarypayment source account and the one or more supplemental payment sourceaccounts and the received preference settings in the supplementalpayment services computing system for transactions involving merchantswithin the merchant category, such that a transaction originated by theuser presenting the primary payment source account and identifying anidentifier of a merchant at which the transaction originates, and amerchant category identifier of a merchant at which the transactionoriginates, is automatically processed using the stored paymentprocessing preferences.
 20. The non-transitory machine-readable mediumof claim 19, further comprising receiving, at the supplemental paymentservices computing system, a transaction authorization request from amerchant or merchant acquirer involved in a transaction, wherein thetransaction was originated by the user presenting the primary paymentsource payment vehicle whereby the authorization request identifies theprimary payment source account of the user, an amount of thetransaction, and the merchant at which the transaction originates;evaluating the preference settings stored in relation to the receivedidentifier of the user's primary payment source account to identify fromamong the plurality of payment combinations a combination of paymentsource accounts to use in relation to the transaction, the combinationbeing allocated to the transaction according to the evaluated preferencesettings and based on the merchant identifier or the merchant categoriesof the merchant involved in the transaction; processing the transactionusing resources defined by the identified combination of payment sourceaccounts, wherein processing the transaction comprises accounting fordeducting resources from the primary payment source account and/or oneor more supplemental payment source accounts according to the identifiedcombination; updating the first, second, and/or subsequent datastructures of the shared ledger to reflect the accounting for deductingresources from the accounts of the primary payment source account andsupplemental payment source accounts according to the identifiedcombination; transmitting a transaction authorization response to themerchant or merchant acquirer; and displaying the accounting fordeducting resources from the accounts of the primary payment sourceaccount and supplemental payment source accounts according to theidentified combination.